Putting the fun in fungi

The earthy smell of the forest floor, the thrill when you spot a stash of likely looking specimens and the anticipation – all the way home – of knowing just how good your basket of goodies is going to taste! It's no wonder food writers wax lyrical about foraging for mushrooms.

JUST ADD WATER

It may not be quite as romantic an image but try to visualise being able to pick a frypan-full without leaving home. And you don't even need a backyard – just a water squirter and patience.

Chris Winn, of Geebung, is the brains behind Fungi, a mushroom kit company he set up in 2007.

A self-described fungus fanatic, Chris has a background in marketing and horticulture and acted quickly to fill what he saw was a gap in the booming foodie market.

"My first kit was just plain white button mushrooms. I made a hundred, took them to West End market and sold out. The idea was born."

BACKYARD BUSINESS

Five years later he has 50 to 60 retailers selling kits around Australia and says he's doing a roaring trade online. He's moved on from just selling button and portobello mushroom, too, although these kits are still his most popular.

A LITTLE BUTTER OR OIL

He was seduced into trying different, more exotic choices while on holiday in Laos. While he doesn't describe it as a eureka moment exactly, it got him thinking about a change of career.

"I was travelling with my wife. I would have eaten exotic mushrooms before but there was a shiitake soup that we had that was just really memorable. Interesting because my preferred way to eat mushrooms is usually just with a little bit of butter or oil."

These days he sells everything from giant-sized king stropharia (also called wine caps) through to shiitake and oyster mushrooms.

By the end of the year he also hopes to have added golden and pink oyster mushrooms to the mix.

SIZZLING SHIITAKE

The shiitake logs are another best seller. ‘‘Shiitake mushrooms are amazing tasting; leaps and bounds better than button mushrooms. But until recently the price and supply hasn't been there in Australia. It's changing now."

So just how easy are they to grow? "There's a big variation with different species of mushrooms. But at the end of the day it's up to the grower to create the best environment," says Chris. He says button mushrooms are generally best grown in winter, while the summer months favour more exotic varieties.

KEEP THEM WATERED

"The box kits are quite basic and grow in a wide range of climates – you just need lots of water and a relatively dark, cool environment for the button mushrooms."

He advises customers to put them outside, out of direct sunlight but says they need air to grow, so don't hide them away too securely – like in a cupboard.

With oyster and shiitake mushrooms he suggests using a bucket or a tray with a plastic sheet over the top to create the humidity they love.

"Keep them out of the wind and sunlight – but it doesn't need to be completely dark," says Chris.

The king stropharia mushrooms are a variety that can grow to 30cm across and 20cm tall. They are the only ones Fungi sells which require a place in the backyard.

"We grow them on Queensland oak wood chips. The flavour is hearty – like a giant field mushroom and they are best eaten when they are about 15cm across."

So can we expect to save cash by growing our own, or is it more about the satisfaction and easy access?

"With exotic varieties it's about getting access to a better product and you will save money," says Chris.

"With button mushrooms it's more about the freshness."

And if they don't get the water they require, of course nothing much will happen at all.

"It's really about freshness and the fun of growing them.

"If you pull a mushroom out and slice it in half and see those lovely pink gills – I guarantee you won't taste a better mushroom anywhere."